NFL all‐star Antonio Brown was released from jail Tuesday morning. He was then held in New Jersey’s Essex County jail. He’s safe now and on his way to Florida to be transferred. There, he will face life-altering legal consequences stemming from a reported shooting that followed his celebrity boxing match on May 16.
Brown has been charged with attempted murder. If convicted, passed as a second-degree offense this would carry a potential maximum prison sentence of 15 years as well as a $10,000 fine. Brown reportedly seized one of the handguns of a security personnel. Shah then fired two shots at Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, the victim in this unfortunate incident. Nantambu subsequently told investigators that one of the bullets passed closely enough by his neck to graze it.
Brown’s lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, filed a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf, asserting that Brown acted within his legal rights.
“The actions he was forced to take were solely in self-defense against the alleged victim’s violent behavior. Brown was attacked that night and acted within his legal right to protect himself,” – Mark Eiglarsh.
Immediately after the altercation, Brown took to social media, stating that he was “jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”
Before his arrest, Brown had been a Dubai resident for a few months. After the incident, he was arrested in Dubai and later waived extradition to Florida from New Jersey. The chronology of events has called into question his actual actions and motivation during the shooting.
It took Nantambu until May 21 to release a full account of what happened that day. In his press release, he named Brown as the shooter. This slow-moving official narrative has only intensified scrutiny of the conditions that allowed such an accident to happen at all.
On the field, Brown is the NFL’s most extraordinary player. He has caught 928 passes, gained over 12,000 yards and scored a total of 88 touchdowns. He served the bulk of his career with the AFL and NFL Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2021, he threw his last pass in an NFL game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His career became subject to controversy in 2021 when he famously exited a game against the New York Jets by removing his jersey and shoulder pads before leaving the field entirely.
Brown’s deep history with the law has fueled a complex public image. His current legal troubles only compound what has been a turbulent career both on the field and off.
Brown could appear at a bail hearing in federal courtroom in Miami as soon as Wednesday morning. Significant changes to this major case will take place at the hearing.
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